The Utah Jazz will host a showdown against the New York Knicks at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Dec. 9 and can be seen on RT and MSG.
The Jazz are hoping for a better outcome after their 114-106 loss to the Kings on Tuesday. Gordon Hayward had a good outing, putting up 18 points, eight rebounds, and six assists for Utah. The Knicks, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 104-97 loss against the Mavericks on Monday. Kristaps Porzingis led the game in scoring with 28 points.
Derrick Favors and Hayward have been better than usual over the last five games for the Jazz. During that stretch, Favors has averaged 21.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks, while Hayward has recorded 21.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.6 three-pointers a game. Porzingis has been hot for the Knicks. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.4 three-pointers.
The Jazz are a five-point favorite against New York and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 192 points. The Jazz come into this game 9-9 Straight Up (SU) and 11-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 5-5 SU and 6-3-1 ATS against the Eastern Conference. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Utah’s stingy defense. The Jazz are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 96.8 points per game.
As for their opponent, the Knicks have 10-12 SU and 12-10 ATS records. Against the Western Conference, New York is 4-3 SU and 3-4 ATS. The Knicks convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking second in the league at .815. The New York defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing .426 shooting from the field to its opponents.
These two will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their previous head-to-head meeting, Utah came out on top, but the win was not enough to overtake New York in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. The Knicks also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 9-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Uta, ATS Winner – NY, O/U – Under
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Utah’s last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah’s last 5 games when playing New York.
Utah is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing New York.
Utah is 1-19 ATS in its last 20 games when playing New York.
Utah is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against New York.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah’s last 5 games when playing at home against New York.
Utah is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against New York.
New York is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Utah.
New York ranks 23rd in points per game with 97.2, while Utah ranks third in points allowed with an average of 96.8 given up.
New York scores an average of 98.9 points per away game (ranked 14th). Utah ranks 18th in points allowed per home game with 100.2.
The Knicks have an even 7-7 record when they allow fewer than 100 points. When the Jazz score fewer than 100 points, they are 6-7.
When opponents have scored at least 100 points, New York has a subpar record of 3-5. When Utah has allowed 100 or more points, it has a split 3-3 record.
The Knicks have an offensive rating of 100.0 (ranked 23rd), while the Jazz rank 17th for their defensive rating of 102.4.
Utah has an average field goal percentage of 43.9%. New York is a losing 3-5 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Utah Jazz attempt 21.0 three point field goals per game and the New York Knicks attempt 22.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, both teams have losing records; Utah is 1-3 and New York is 3-5.
Utah has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.26 this season (ranked 27th). New York ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.48 (ranked 16th).
The Jazz rank 23rd in rebounds per game with 43.1, while the Knicks rank 11th with 44.4 per game.
Utah is ranked 28th in defensive rebounds, while New York ranks 12th in offensive rebounds.
Utah ranks fifth in forced turnovers with an average rate of 16.1%. New York has a 2-3 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
